The third book in the Harry Potter saga is, to me, one of the most interesting. It expands upon the world of the first two and manages a twist ending. Without further ado, it's time to pull out our brooms and soar onwards.
Synopsis:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban follows Harry Potter in his third year of Hogwarts. However, things have gotten much worse. A deranged murderer, Sirius Black, has escaped from Azkaban, the wizard prison, and rumors say that he's coming after Harry. Black is said to be a follower of Lord Voldemort, the powerful enemy of the majority of the wizarding world with a vendetta against Harry, half-bloods and non-magical people. The Ministry of Magic has placed Dementors, the former guards of Azkaban, around the Hogwarts walls, hoping to protect the students. After overhearing a few teachers, it comes to light that Sirius Black was the one supposed to be protecting the Potters from Lord Voldemort and that they might have died because of him.
A series of clues unravel and they end up in the Shrieking Shack, said to be haunted by ghosts. There, they learn the truth; Sirius Black is innocent and the real murderer is unmasked.
Review:
That was a lot, but I don't really want to cover the story element of the book too much. the storytelling is quite good, with subplots echoing throughout, but I want to compare it to its predecessors, books 1 and 2. This book is the first where Harry Potter does not win. Of course, being the protagonist, he does win in a few smaller areas, but this is the first book where the threat is not dealt with. The real spy for Lord Voldemort, Peter Pettigrew, escapes and there is no further sign of him until the next book. I really like this direction as it shows that no matter the 'plot armor' a character has, they can still lose. It also sets up a greater tone of anticipation going into the successive books as there is now a reason for things to be happening. Pettigrew, as a plot point that is unaccounted for, sets up the chessboard for the following books.
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